Li-Jun Xie , Xiao-Ti Yang , Rui-Li Wang, Hou-Ping Cheng, Zhi-Yan Li, Li Liu, Lanqun Mao, Ming Wang,* and Liang Cheng*

  N⁶‐Methyladenosine (m⁶A) represents a common and highly dynamic modification in eukaryotic RNA that affects various cellular pathways. Natural dioxygenases such as FTO and ALKBH5 are enzymes that demethylate m⁶A residues in mRNA. Herein, the first identification of a small‐molecule modulator that functions as an artificial m⁶A demethylase is reported. Flavin mononucleotide (FMN), the metabolite produced by riboflavin kinase, mediates substantial photochemical demethylation of m⁶A residues of RNA in live cells. This study provides a new perspective to the understanding of demethylation of m⁶A residues in mRNA and sheds light on the development of powerful small molecules as RNA demethylases and new probes for use in RNA biology.

This work has been published in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201900901.